variants
also cagy
1
as in slick
clever at attaining one's ends by indirect and often deceptive means
a cagey old politician who is exceptionally skilled at getting federal money for his district
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in hesitant
slow to begin or proceed with a course of action because of doubts or uncertainty
when it came time to sign the contract, he suddenly got cagey about taking on the job
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of cagey
The Schuyler sisters provide the most beautiful voices in the production, with Krystal Joy Brown offering a poignant Eliza, and Mandy Gonzalez a smart and cagey Angelica.
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Kyle Smith, National Review, 10 Feb. 2020
Cote and Mark were pretty cagey when asked if Michael will be back.
—Megan Stein, Country Living, 7 Jan. 2020
Quarterback Drew Lock looked like a cagey veteran and not a first-time NFL road starter, completing 22 of his 27 attempts for 309 yards and three touchdowns.
—Ryan O’Halloran, The Denver Post, 8 Dec. 2019
Mia is transformed from a cagey lone wolf into a woman with unlimited intense sympathy for another.
—Ariana Romero, refinery29.com, 18 Mar. 2020
See all Example Sentences for cagey 
Kyle Smith, National Review, 10 Feb. 2020
Cote and Mark were pretty cagey when asked if Michael will be back.
—Megan Stein, Country Living, 7 Jan. 2020
Quarterback Drew Lock looked like a cagey veteran and not a first-time NFL road starter, completing 22 of his 27 attempts for 309 yards and three touchdowns.
—Ryan O’Halloran, The Denver Post, 8 Dec. 2019
Mia is transformed from a cagey lone wolf into a woman with unlimited intense sympathy for another.
—Ariana Romero, refinery29.com, 18 Mar. 2020
See all Example Sentences for cagey
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cagey
Adjective
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Ultimately, his victims would begin to figure out what was going on, and the slick façade would fracture.Suzanne Seggerman, Curbed, 14 Nov. 2024
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Think of Lightroom without the slick workflow features.PCMAG, PCMAG, 12 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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Yet, despite a distressing number of incidents reported by the Washington Post—over 417 school shootings since 1999—many schools remain hesitant.Chris Ciabarra, Forbes, 27 Nov. 2024
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The high cost of the drugs means some pharmacies were hesitant to fill prescriptions, worried that people wouldn’t come to pick them up.Jessica Kutz, Them, 26 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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The narrative in the first season requires the estranged friends to work together to combat a cunning kidnapper.Patrick Frater, Variety, 5 Nov. 2024
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Syrian smugglers now use a variety of cunning techniques to move their drugs to Jordan, including drones and carrier pigeons, which have been taught to fly with tiny bags of contraband affixed to their legs.Ed Caesar, The New Yorker, 4 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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After hunting him down at the casino, Lisa manages to convince a reluctant Sammy to become a team for the upcoming tournament.Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 19 Nov. 2024
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Civilians tasked with taking on the Santa mantle, however, are fair game — including clueless Christmas princes, reluctant draftees, and Viking warriors.Katie Rife, Vulture, 16 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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Lisa Says Gah, the Bow Pant, $148 For the friend with flair, these mesh lacrosse pants are the perfect balance of comfortable and cute.Romany Williams, Los Angeles Times, 27 Nov. 2024
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There are also a number of great stocking stuffers available right now, like cute Ankle Socks (just $8) or a travel-ready Leather Card Case With Magnet (only $13).Kristine Thomason, Travel + Leisure, 27 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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With a popular-vote victory in hand, returning to Washington having previously served as president, and not under the sort of dubious investigation that dogged him in 2017, Trump ought to be better able to navigate the existing structures of our Constitution.The Editors, National Review, 22 Nov. 2024
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Trump has promised to deport 11 million people, mostly to Latin America — though experts are dubious that such a feat is even feasible.New York Times, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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Sure, maybe some wily P.R. person mustered an entire corps of writers and editors into a conspiracy.Helen Rosner, The New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2024
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The Democratic ticket is framing Trump as a chaotic leader easily taken advantage of by more wily foreign adversaries.David Brennan, ABC News, 3 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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That’s a shrewd strategy for any Black actor, especially one who’s freely embraced his queerness in public for the entirety of his career.Selome Hailu, Variety, 20 Nov. 2024
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Possibly not, given that First 12 has a shrewd lawyer, sowing doubt by arguing there were more opportunities for Dante’s mothers to be unsanitary — intentionally or not — than for the factory to make a catastrophic mistake.Noel Murray, Vulture, 14 Nov. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near cagey
Cite this Entry
“Cagey.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cagey. Accessed 3 Dec. 2024.
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